* If you are using a blog reader, you may need to visit my actual blog to see the slide show of outtakes, and just for fun shots.

If I were starting a multi-million dollar company, I would do everything in my power to recruite Jeremy Lewis to run the show. He was a thrill to work with, and a great guy to boot. Jeremy is the CEO of Big Fish Games, and I recently photographed him for the May 09 cover of Seattle Business Monthly.

He seems to have found a good balance of taking business very seriously, but at the same time enjoying life with a good sense of humor. And I think that shows in these pictures. As further proof, I was intrigued by the fact that he is reading a biography on Charlie Chaplin, and drawing inspiration from Chaplin’s business savvy. “In both good and bad times, he did the same thing: He made enjoyable, safe, mass-market entertainment at a great value. He was a true business leader for his times.”

It takes a lot of creativity to find business inspiration from such an unlikely source as Charlie Chaplin, but I like that kind of “outside the box” thinking. Maybe we could send some of that kind of thinking to the Auto and Financial industries.

Big Fish Games is now the leader in “casual games” and they are quickly growing, despite the slumping economy.

“After netting $85 million in revenue and growing by about 70 percent last year, Big Fish doesn’t appear to be slowing down. This January, Lewis says the company’s subscription base grew 111 percent faster than it did in September 2008, when the stock market crashed.” - Randy Woods and Julie H. Case for Seattle Business Monthly

Click here to read the entire article in Seattle Business about Big Fish Games, and other companies who are thriving despite the economic downturn.